Potato industry leaders discuss giving growers a voice in D.C.

Members of the National Potato Council recently traveled to Washington, D.C., for the organization’s Washington Summit. Council CEO Kam Quarles says a major talking point is the ripple effect of the placement of potatoes on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

Quarles says as the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services collaborate to update and release a new dietary recommendation, the departments could reclassify potatoes as a starch instead of a vegetable. That decision would affect everything from school diets to USDA funding, he says.

“Scientifically they're a vegetable,” Quarles said in this episode of the "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast. “They're also the most widely produced and consumed vegetable in the United States.”

NPC President Bob Mattive, a grower from Monte Vista, Colo., said growers who come to D.C. share personal impacts of the potato industry to help representatives without working knowledge of farms.

“It's important that we have growers here that can tell their story about why some of these issues that we are advocating for are important to them personally, to their farms, to their state and their local communities," Mattive said.

Quarles said NPC’s economic studies show the potato industry has an approximately $100 billion impact yearly. NPC’s newest economic study shows a potential $1 billion impact of expanded export opportunities. Quarles said NPC members would discuss the economic impact of potatoes and the potential impact of expanded export access.

Kelly Turner, executive director of the Potato Growers of Michigan, says it’s a great opportunity for the state's growers to represent the industry in D.C., and visiting with representatives helps keep Michigan potatoes top of mind. It also helps those representatives recognize they have people in the potato industry to speak with to understand the impacts of potential legislation or regulations.

“It really says ‘Hey, we're important, and we want to help you understand our business. We want to be your expert in the area of the potato industry,’” she said

Turner said these trips also help humanize the representatives, so growers see they’re people doing a tough job and must be experts on many issues, including agriculture.

“This is where farmers can come and be supportive of their congressional members and help them understand ‘I'm here. I want to be on speed dial when these conversations are happening if you've got questions about how this is going to impact folks in your district in the potato industry,’” she said.

Listen to this podcast episode using the player above or by clicking here.